Insects. 1673 



rious in their habits, a long time might elapse before their places of concealment were 

 found out ; whereas, by watching them to their holes, the object was immediately ob- 

 tained. It is a remarkable circumstance (and one which I have never seen recorded),* 

 that they are nearly always found in company, as I have before stated, with one or 

 other of the species of the brachelytrous genus Hesperophilus. Where I have observed 

 the one, I have scarcely ever failed of finding the other : without strict observations 

 this might not often be apparent, for the two genera being in their times of appearance 

 essentially dissimilar, — the Dyschirii coming out only in the heat of the sun, and the 

 Hesperophili (as indeed their name imports) solely in the evening, — it is not likely 

 that this singular fact would be noticed : nevertheless, while capturing the Dyschirii 

 by the above mentioned plan, I have scarcely ever failed of finding at the same time, 

 one or other of the species of Hesperophilus, and often in such close connexion with 

 them, that it is perfectly impossible to take the one without upsetting the haunts of 

 the other. At Lowestoft, this was particularly remarkable, where, closely mixed up 

 with the Dyschirii already alluded to, were positively hundreds of the beautiful little 

 Hesperophilus arenarius. It is curious to speculate on what could be the object of this 

 excessive intimacy, for so far as company is concerned, the habits of the species are 

 too dissimilar, to render them of much service to each other ; inasmuch, as when the 

 Hesperophili are " at home," the Dyschirii are abroad, — and when the Dyschirii are " at 

 home," the Hesperophili are abroad ! This great fact was most admirably illustrated 

 at Lowestoft, where, during the heat of the day, the Dyschirii might be observed sport- 

 ing rapidly about in the sun-shine, but verily, not the ghost of an Hesperophilus 



" Shewed o'er the arid waste his misty form." 

 In the evening, however, the Dyschirii had entirely disappeared, and their place was 

 taken by their little Brachelytrous cohabitants, who were ranging far and wide over the 

 surface of the sand, though with much slower and clumsier movements than were dis- 

 played in the rapid and easy motions of Dyschirius. At Whittlesea Mere also, in 

 company with the Dyschirii above referred to, I captured Hesperophilus arenarius ; 

 whereas, in the locality at Tenby, in which Dyschirius nitidus and gibbus occurred, the 

 absence of arenarius was supplied by its generic representative, fracticornis. In the 

 Isle of Wight, the ' amalgamation ' we are discussing, was quite as extraordinary as at 

 Lowestoft. Here, however, in addition to the little Hesperophilus arenarius (which 

 was in the utmost profusion), the Dyschirii were mixed up with the large and beautiful 

 Bledius armatus, — a genus which is well known to be closely allied to Hesperophilus, 

 and whose habits are in every way the same, — and so intimately were the three genera 



* Since writing the above, it has given me great pleasure to learn from my friend 

 Mr. Haliday, that he has observed the same circumstance in the north of Ireland. 

 In an interesting communication of his, on the' Zoology of Lough Neagh,' read by 

 Mr. Thompson, of Belfast, before the British Association at Southampton, in Septem- 

 ber last, speaking of Dyschirius thoracicus, he makes the following observations : — " I 

 have usually found this insect about the burrows of Bledius tricornis, but though I 

 searched for the last genus, expecting to meet with some of the section Hesperophilus, 

 to my surprise I could discover but a single Bledius subterraneus (Erich)" Mr. 

 Haliday also writes me word, that the same fact has been observed by Mr. Budd, who 

 registered an account of it in the Ent. Mag. ii. 181, which, however, I have not yet 

 had an opportunity of referring to. 



